A case where a woman with dementia was able to take out $100,000, and another where $60,000 was withdrawn to fund a gambling binge are among seven instances of suspected financial abuse in Darwin in just five months.

Queensland Rail drivers and guards are pocketing tens of thousands of dollars a year in overtime as the organisation struggles to recruit dozens more crews to fill a staffing shortfall, new figures show.

In Queensland and Victoria fines for unpaid tolls are clogging the court system, with some motorists left with debts as large as $200,000. It's a situation that has some experts calling for law reform.

One of the two tunnel boring machines being used to create the new Perth Airport rail link has been shut down for more than a month after problems surfaced with the high-profile public transport project.